


What a Splendid Party

by Mertens



Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux, Phantom - Susan Kay, Phantom of the Opera - Lloyd Webber
Genre: Christmas, Humor, Misunderstandings, Other, Pre-Relationship, masquerades
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:00:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27771163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mertens/pseuds/Mertens
Summary: Convinced that Christine is an unfortunate victim of the Phantom, Nadir tags along on their date to a Christmas masquerade party and ends up entangling himself in a misunderstanding.
Relationships: Christine Daaé & Erik | Phantom of the Opera, Christine Daaé/Erik | Phantom of the Opera, Erik & Nadir Khan, Erik | Phantom of the Opera & The Persian, Erik | Phantom of the Opera/Nadir Khan, Erik | Phantom of the Opera/The Persian
Comments: 3
Kudos: 40





	What a Splendid Party

“Are you sure Christine asked you to go? Are you sure it wasn’t the other way around?”

Erik sighed deeply at Nadir’s words. 

“For the fifth time, _I’m sure_ ,” he snapped. 

How could he ever forget the way his dear little Christine had looked up at him, eyes shining, face blushing, hands twisting, and asked him if he wanted to attend a Christmas masquerade with her? He was not about to pass that opportunity up, no matter how much the Daroga thought he should. 

“Besides,” Erik added uneasily. “You really don’t have to come along, you know.”

“I know,” Nadir replied gravely. 

Still the man tagged infuriatingly along as Erik tried to escape him by speeding his pace down the sidewalk. 

Nadir, who was a good deal shorter than the awkwardly tall Erik, tried to keep up as well as he could. 

All of Erik’s thoughts of annoyance disappeared into nothing as he caught sight of his beloved student waiting for him outside the steps of the old mansion where the party was being held. Her little face lit up when she saw him, her eyes sparkling as she took in his fine costume. 

“Maestro! You made it! Oh, I was worried you weren’t going to come,” she said, holding her hand out to him. 

He took her hand and brought it up to his face as he bowed low to her, barely brushing his thin lips across her knuckles. 

“Are you the Devil?” she asked, nearly breathlessly, as though the thought excited her. 

And she might well think him so, in this costume - a red velvet getup with elaborate folds and bows and an enormous red hat with a number of gaudy feathers - and across the top half of his face was mask shaped like a skeleton, through which his unusual yellow eyes glowed. His lips twisted into a smirk at her words. 

“My dear,” he purred, his voice low. “For you I would be anything you wish me to be.”

She giggled at his words and at how he brushed his thumb over her hand which he still held. 

His costume was, in fact _The Red Death_ , but if she wanted it be a devil, he would swiftly agree that it was so - after all, her own costume was that of an angel, and she probably secretly wanted them to match. There was no costume that could suit her quite as well as this, Erik thought - a sparkling white dress that shimmered and ruffled, fitted bodice and sleeves that puffed out just around the shoulders, gold colored boots on her little feet. On the back of her bodice were two small, feathered wings, and above the golden curls she’d pulled into a wrapped style atop her head was a little glittering halo, held there by a series of hairpins. She was the most gorgeous creature on earth, and Erik felt he could look at her forever. 

Nadir cleared his throat, scooting closer and glaring at how Erik’s skeletal hand enveloped that of the girl. 

The spell between the two was seemingly broken and they took notice of him. 

“Mlle Daaé, I presume,” Nadir bowed to her, offering her his hand and thus forcing her to drop Erik’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person - I’ve heard you on stage, and my friend here speaks of you often.”

“Not my friend, not my friend,” Erik muttered under his breath and rocked from his heels to his toes and back again. 

“Oh, it is nice to meet you, Monsieur-“

“Khan.”

“Monsieur Khan.”

“I trust you will not mind my chaperoning this evening?”

Christine pulled her hand back from him. 

“I appreciate your concern, Monsieur Khan, but I need no chaperone. I am twenty years old and an independent woman, I can take care of myself. My Mamma knows and trusts that I am in the care of my good maestro, and there is no one else that I need answer to over my actions - or my reputation,” she told him politely but firmly. 

“Ah, you misunderstand - I am not here to chaperone you. I am here to chaperone Erik.”

Erik turned a fiery glare at him, his hands clenching into fists. Christine looked between the two of them, confused as to why Erik, of all people, needed a _chaperone_. 

“Oh,” she laughed a little nervously. “I see.”

“Just pretend he isn’t here, my dear - I often do,” Erik told her, placing an arm around her shoulders and shepherding her away from the other man. 

“Let’s go in, then,” she said to both of them. “It’s too cold to linger out here!”

Once inside, Erik barely took notice of the fine decorations and trees and lights. He only had eyes for his student. 

“There’s a table for refreshments,” she told him, looking up at him with a certain tender emotion in her eyes. 

She knew the man well enough to know he often went long stretches without food or drink, and it concerned her to no end. He found it terribly touching that she tried to look out for him so - almost like a wife fretting over her husband! 

“They have drinks of all kinds - spirits and mulled ciders and more - and there’s some meats, too. And cake! And cookies. Would you like something sweet?” she continued, smiling at him. 

He smirked at her question, his arm dropping from around her shoulders and letting his hand come rest on the small of her back, just above the swell of her bustle. 

“Oh, I most certainly would,” he murmured, and she giggled, squirming under his touch. 

“I’ll be right back!” she said, pulling away teasingly and tossing a grin to him as she was lost in the crowd. 

Erik watched her go, then noticed Nadir not too far away, his arms crossed and his face in scowl as he shook his head disapprovingly at Erik. Erik made a hideous face at him and stalked off after Christine. 

Nadir huffed and set off after them. He was certainly glad he’d come - Christine seemed to enjoy Erik’s company well enough, but he knew better than to trust the man. Christine’s Mamma leaving her under the care of Erik, even if she was twenty, was like leaving a hen under the watch of a fox. How lucky, then, that he was here to make certain he behaved himself! The poor girl was clearly under his spell, and her mother must be, too. 

To Erik’s unending dismay, Christine greeted him with _three_ small plates of cake - one for her, one for him, and one for the great booby who he knew was sneaking up behind him. 

“Let’s go somewhere a little more private,” she whispered to Erik after she kindly handed a plate to Nadir. 

To her surprise, Nadir followed. 

They stood awkwardly by one of the walls, eating cake, Christine frowning down at her plate and Erik frowning hard at Nadir, who was watching the dancers without a care in the world. 

“Lovely weather we’ve been having, wouldn’t you say?” Nadir mused aloud. 

Erik groaned and Christine gave a single, polite nod. 

“Erik,” she piped up as soon they had finished eating. “Would you dance with me?”

“Of course, my dear!”

He was only too eager to leave the Daroga behind him. 

Nadir stayed towards the edge of the room, keeping a watchful - and disapproving - eye on the all-too-cheery couple. Erik’s hand was far too low down the girl’s back, her body far too close to his for Nadir’s liking. It was highly inappropriate, all of it - the way Erik was grinning down at her, the way he whispered something closely in her ear, his lips and breath tickling her skin and making her giggle, the way she looked up at him with starry eyes and a dazzled smile, the way she scooted in closer to him and squeezed his hand. It all made Nadir very uneasy. The poor girl didn’t realize how close to disaster she was waltzing - if she wasn’t careful, she’d fall into ruin at the hands of her masked teacher. 

At last Nadir had had enough. At the start of the next song, he cut in. 

“May I have this dance?” he asked, bowing low and taking her hand from Erik. 

She looked slightly dismayed, glancing over at Erik, but then she shrugged a little and smiled, accepting. 

Erik glared daggers at the man as he swept Christine away with the music. The Daroga was a meddlesome old fool, and if he wasn’t careful - well, Erik would not be blamed for anything that befell him. 

“You’re a wonderful dancer, Monsieur,” Christine smiled sweetly at him after a few moments. 

“Thank you, you’re too kind,” he said, and paused. “I was hoping to have a word with you.”

“Oh?”

Her pretty brow crinkled. 

“Yes. I trust our mutual friend has not stepped outside the bounds of propriety with you?”

“Excuse me?” she asked, blinking fast. 

“He has not-“ Nadir hesitated, realizing that in trying to make the most of their few moments alone, he’d rushed into his questions without fully thinking them out. “He has not been _inappropriate_ towards you... _with_ you?”

“Why, Monsieur Khan!” she said, feigning being scandalized. “My private life is my own, thank you, and I’ll do with it as I please! _I_ will decide what I deem appropriate, if you don’t mind.”

Her words did not put his mind at ease. He felt a blush creeping up his neck. 

“No, no- I merely meant- I only wished to know if you were _comfortable_ \- I’ve know Erik a very long time- I was only concerned for your reputation- I didn’t mean-“

She laughed lightly at his embarrassment. 

“Let us speak on more pleasant subjects than my _reputation_ , good Monsieur,” she said with a sly grin. 

He sheepishly returned her smile, trying not to stumble over his own feet and make a further fool of himself. 

When the dance ended, she kindly curtsied to him and thanked him before Erik quickly pulled her away to dance with him again. 

As Erik twirled her about the floor he shot warning looks at the Daroga. If the man thought he could just barge in and make advances on _his_ girl, he was sorely mistaken. 

“What did he want?” Erik muttered to her. “I saw him talking to you.”

She simply smiled at him and tilted her head. 

“We were talking about how much I enjoy the company of my Angel.”

His temper faded as it often did at a well placed word from her, and his own smile returned. In an attempt to lose their pesky chaperone, he tried to move them across to the other side of the large room during the course of their dance. It worked, for a short while. 

Nadir found his way over to them - and just in time. 

When the song had ended, they’d ended up near a heavily curtain window, and from the middle of the curtain rod hung an ominous plant - mistletoe. Erik and Christine were standing right under it, and it had not escaped either ones notice. 

“I- I suppose we’re expected to-“ she said, looking shyly up at him as he towered over her. 

“Oh, it would be bad luck not to, I’m afraid,” he murmured gravely, leaning one hand against the wall, practically cutting off any route of escape for her. 

“Well in that case- we don’t want bad luck, do we?”

Nadir crept closer, his blood going cold. 

“I’ve never had a kiss before, did you know?” Erik mused, and she made a sympathetic and surprised noise. 

“Really?” she breathed. 

“Really,” he nodded solemnly. “My own mother wouldn’t even kiss me... Poor Erik, no kisses from anyone, ever... He’s had a wretched time of it, my dear, and a kiss is such a simple thing yet it would mean so very much to him, you know.”

“Would it?” she whispered, leaning back against the curtain as he pressed slightly closer. 

“Oh, it _would_ indeed - to know that this- this carcass was not so repulsive that no one would dare to bring themselves to bestow one small kiss-“

“I see,” she said on an exhale, her gaze intent on him. She angled her chin out, preparing to be kissed. 

In the back of his mind, Nadir was relieved - judging from their conversation, they hadn’t so much as kissed - _yet_. Any relief was washed away by the realization that they were mere seconds away from kissing. 

Erik was going to ruin her life. Not intentionally, not purposely, but it would happen, all the same. He was certain of it, and he had to put a stop to it somehow. He simply could not allow him to kiss her. He had to save the poor girl, and fast. 

He did the only thing he could think of. 

He grabbed Erik’s shoulder and pulled him back, fisting his hands on Erik’s lapels as he pulled him down to his height, putting his own face in between Erik’s and Christine’s, and kissing him in place of the girl. 

Erik’s eyes widened first in horror and then in disbelief. After what seemed an eternity but was, in fact, less than a second, Erik pulled back, his fingertips gently pressing against his own lips. He stared at his old friend with a sense of wonder. Nadir stared right back, shocked - shocked at what he’d done, shocked at Erik’s lack of violent reaction, and shocked at his own reaction. 

Neither one spared a glance to Christine, who was giving Nadir the most hateful look she could muster, a look that said she thought something very important had been stolen from her. 

“Why, Daroga,” Erik said, amazement in his voice. “I had no idea- all this time?”

Was _this_ the reason the old booby had been following him around for years? Why, he should have said something to Erik sooner! All this time, with the pretense of “keeping Erik out of trouble” and “making sure there were no more murders” (like Erik couldn’t control himself! Really!) and yet here was the _real_ reason the man always tagged along with him-

Nadir turned scarlet, adjusting his eyeglasses, clearing his throat. 

“Excuse me,” he choked out. “I must step out for a breath of fresh air.”

He quickly hurried away from the mortifying scene, Erik watching him go with a deep sense of curiosity, and Christine watched him go with tightly crossed arms and a deep scowl. 

Erik cleared his own throat. 

“Wait here a moment, my dear, I’ll be right back-“

With a pat on her arm, he left her to rush after the Daroga. She huffed, but remained where she was, waiting for him to return. 

“Nadir-“ 

Nadir flinched to hear his name called by Erik as he stepped out into the night air. He stopped and turned, slowly. When he met Erik’s eye, it seemed neither of them knew exactly what to say. 

“Are you leaving?” Erik asked stupidly. 

Nadir shrugged. 

“Perhaps.”

He didn’t know how to face the aftermath of what he’d accidentally done. 

“Ah.”

They were silent a moment. Nadir realized with mounting horror that this had seemingly actually meant something very important to Erik - good heavens, was he the man’s first kiss? 

“I have to go back in,” Erik gestured awkwardly to the party. “I promised her I’d go to the party with her, so I have to stay with her, you know.”

Nadir nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

“That’s fine,” he said easily. 

Erik nodded, and turned to go back in, then paused a moment. 

“Daroga,” he said slowly. “Would you- would you like to have dinner together, some night?”

Nadir stifled a groan. Erik truly did take this to mean far more than it did - the man never did anything halfway. If it had spared innocent Christine, he supposed it was worth it, but really - surely Erik wasn’t _interested_ in him, just from a little kiss? 

He should turn him, brush off this whole incident as the meaningless mistake it had been, and they could all get on with their lives. 

That’s why it surprised him to hear his own treacherous voice saying- 

“How about Wednesday?”

Erik smiled and nodded. 

“Wednesday,” he said decisively, and turned to return to Christine. 

Nadir watched him go, surprised by a strange sense of looking forward to Wednesday night.


End file.
